The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant known by the cultivar name xe2x80x98Fiscor Firexe2x80x99, and botanically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima. 
xe2x80x98Fiscor Firexe2x80x99 is a product of a mutation induction program carried out by the inventor, Katharina Zerr, in Hillscheid, Germany, in 1994. The primary objective of the induction program was to expand the bract color ranges of xe2x80x98Fiscorxe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,364). xe2x80x98Fiscorxe2x80x99 is characterized by its relatively dark red-colored bracts, dark-green foliage and comparatively compact habit.
The irradiation program comprised exposing rooted cuttings taken from plants of the parent cultivar to an X-ray source of 30 Gy dosage in Ahrensburg, Germany, under the supervision of the inventor. The irradiated plants were grown out in a greenhouse in Hillscheid, Germany, and were asexually propagated by the inventor by taking cuttings. The plants resulting from these cuttings were screened for mutations as small, flowering, single-stem plants beginning in the fall of 1994. The mutations discovered were identified by numbers. Parts of plants exhibiting a mutation of interest were left to develop vegetative shoots which were used as cuttings and grown out.
xe2x80x98Fiscor Firexe2x80x99 originated from a single plant (No. 338) having intense orange-red bracts, which was discovered in the early summer of 1995. The plant, which was apparently completely mutated, was propagated vegetatively by taking cuttings, and the resulting plants were screened for uniformity in spring of 1996 prior to further propagation. The clone was examined more closely during 1997, when it was compared to its parent variety xe2x80x98Fiscorxe2x80x99. Horticultural examination of the clone starting in 1998 and continuing thereafter has confirmed that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for xe2x80x98Fiscor Firexe2x80x99 are firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be basic characteristics of xe2x80x98Fiscor Firexe2x80x99 which in combination distinguish this Poinsettia as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Intense red bract color with an orange glow;
2. Medium-sized, flat involucre with moderately lobed bracts;
3. Intense dark-green foliage with weak lobes;
4. Compact and low, relatively wide plant habit;
5. Medium to early flowering response; and
6. Relatively good keeping quality of bracts and foliage.
xe2x80x98Fiscor Firexe2x80x99 has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary significantly with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity, and daylength without any change in genotype. The following observations, measurements and comparisons describe plants grown in Langley, British Columbia, Canada, under greenhouse conditions which approximate those generally used in commercial practice.
Of the many commercial cultivars known to the inventor, the most similar in comparison to xe2x80x98Fiscor Firexe2x80x99 is the parental cultivar xe2x80x98Fiscorxe2x80x99. In comparison to xe2x80x98Fiscorxe2x80x99, xe2x80x98Fiscor Firexe2x80x99 has a brighter bract color with a more orange-red hue, less intense anthocyanin coloring of the stem and less intense red petioles. The finishing time for xe2x80x98Fiscor Firexe2x80x99 is the same or slightly shorter than for xe2x80x98Fiscorxe2x80x99.